(This article was published in Brand No. 2, 1996, and is a report
on anti-fascism in Stockholm, Sweden, during 1995. Everything in
[brackets] are the translator's notes.)

Sodermalm Freed!

How often haven't we been told that resistance is
impossible, that violence breeds violence, that we should turn
our backs on the fascists...
1995 became an encouraging year for the anti-fascist
struggle in Sodermalm [working class area] in Stockholm. A year
during which we showed that resistance is possible and that when
we say "no fascists on our streets" we mean what we say.
When Fryshuset [state-controlled youth house] began to offer
space for Nazi skinheads in the late eighties, neonazi groups
started to attempt to create a platform on the streets of
Sodermalm. Protected by the tolerance of the cultural left, the
foremost fighters of intolerance could make themselves
comfortable and openly wear their uniforms and Nazi symbols. When
the Nazi white-power music became fashionable, Fryshuset started
to shed its seed. First Asgard, Dennis Macksey's shop, opened, a
gathering place for Stockholm's young National Socialists. Then
the Fryshus-skins around John Fraim and Fabian Ahrnberg opened
the Naziskin-shop Last Resort. Therefore Anti-fascistisk Aktion
Stockholm [Anti-fascist Action, AFA, Stockholm] decided to devote
1995 to a campaign to make Sodermalm Nazi free.
A low-intensity campaign was pursued against the shops. At
nights the shops were sprayed with anti-fascist slogans and the
locks were glued together. The Nazis were forced to stay in their
shops and guard them day and night. Different anti-fascist action
groups also chose to strike harder: "Kommando Bjorns Tradgard
slar tillbaka" entered Asgard and totally destroyed the shop.
Asgard was at several times hit by butyric acid-attacks in the
most imaginative ways. The Last Resort shop was only open for a
few months. As the fascists were busy at the Engelbrektsmarch of
the Sverigedemokraterna [quasi-traditional demonstration
organised by the Sweden Democrats, a parliamentary fascist party]
in April, an anti-fascist group totally destroyed the shop,
windows were broken, the steel jalousies (? - ATS) were wrecked,
and butyric acid was thrown into the shop, which forced the fire
department to fill the shop with lime. The action led to the
closure of the shop, they got large debts, and John Fraim had to
seek therapy.
The Nazi boyscouts from Fryshuset were for a long time a
thorn in the eye for many inhabitants of Sodermalm and anti-
fascists. AFA were among those who initiated two demonstrations
against the Nazi places, on Sodermalm, together with Soderbor mot
Rasism [Inhabitants of Sodermalm Against Racism], SUF
[Syndikalistiska Ungdomsforbundet, Syndicalist Youth
Organisation], and Hassans Vanner [Friends of Hassan. Hassan is
an immigrant who was injured in a racist attack]. The first
demonstration broke through the defensive position of the anti-
racist organisations and became a new starting point. Some of the
reformist organisations were before the demo nervous about
manifestations in Sodermalm, they rather wanted a manifestation
that remained in one place on the other side of town or indoors.
In New Year 1995 a debate started in media about the skinhead
premises in Fryshuset in connection to the murder of a skinhead
just around the corner. The debate went on after the beating of
Dywold, who worked as a caretaker at Aftonbladet [large evening
paper], outside Fryshuset, the day before the demonstration on
Sodermalm. A long campaign against Fryshuset, which included
petitions, several outdoor meetings with speeches, a
demonstration in October, leaflets, and burying the media with
information on the importance of Fryshuset to organised fascism
finally paid off. After a series of articles in Dagens Nyheter
[largest newspaper in Sweden] the City of Stockholm decided to
close the skinhead premises in Fryshuset, and did so on December
31.
Two of the neo-nazis' most important recruiting bases in
Stockholm have been shut down after the campaigns of anti-
fascists. Asgard is still there, the last Nazi stronghold in
Sodermalm. But it is only a question of time before every Nazi
stronghold lies in ruins. Because the struggle during the last
years has shown us that resistance is possible!

anti-fascists in Stockholm

--------------

Here is some more from anti-fascists in Sweden. Everything in
[brackets] are the translator's notes.

Statement To The Press

Lately the Nazis at Tomtebogatan 44 [in Stockholm, Sweden]
have started to play stormtroopers. Several organisations
supporting the anti-fascist magazine EXPO have had their windows
smashed. On one occasion, on May 19th, a molotov coctail was
thrown into a place on Pipersgatan, Kungsholmen [in Stockholm].
We take these attempts from the fascists to scare people
into silence seriously. With the action in the night between the
4th and 5th of June we want to make our point of view clear. We
do not tolerate a single fascist oasis, whether it is on
Soedermannagatan (ex-Last Resort [Nazi shop]), in Fryshuset
[state-controlled youth-house where Nazis for some time were
allowed to organise], on Tjaerehovsgatan (Asgard [Nazi shop]), on
Tomtebogatan 44, or any other place. And we are prepared to use
what means are necessary to smash the attempts to start a fascist
movement in town.
We soaked the front door and several car-tyres in a mix of
oil and petrol and set light to it. The use of fire was a
controlled and conscious choice by us. We would like to emphasize
that it was carried out in such a way that the people who live in
the house could not be hurt. Also, the purpose, this time, was
not to physically hurt the Nazis who were in the place. The
purpose was instead to concretely show our resolution about
fascism. It has nothing on the face of the Earth to do.
Fascism is the consistent expression of a society built on
hate and exploitation of socially weaker groups. But fascism also
has a face. In this case a bunch of young men, aged 20-25, who
have just started to practise their fascist disposition.

To the people living in the house we would like to say this: You
can still evict the Nazis.
To all others: Keep up the anti-fascist fight in the ways that
suit you!
Smash fascism!
The struggle continues!

Vasastans Antifa

---------

White Power Concert Stopped

A white power concert was planned somewhere in the area
around Gaevle [in Sweden] on Saturday, March 9, 1996. Local Nazis
could be connected to at least a couple of booked premises on the
day in question. 26-year-old Patrik Lindkvist, leader of
Riksfronten in the neighbouring community Sandviken, was behind
one of these contracts. It dealt with the booking of "Folkan" in
Jaerbo. A folk museum had also been booked by Nazis, for the same
purpose. Anonymous tips and the local media helped with making
people aware of shady bookings on the day in question, and by
that succeeded in stopping the concert. On the Saturday evening
some 30 Nazis gathered at the train station in Gaevle. The small
crowd was photographed and exposed in local media. Several local
Nazis were recognized, but none of the "big shots" were there,
not Lindkvist or Jonas Nilsson (leader of Riksfronten Gaevle).
Maybe they were feverishly looking for a new place. After some
rambling expeditions around the community the Nazi scum finally
ended up in an apartment in Gaevle. There they had a meaningless
party which was guarded by police until everyone had gone home.
The Nazis travelled in a minibus from Sundsvall, a rented car
from Vaesteraas, and a car from Gaevle. The police did not
intervene, in spite of Nazi salutes and similar things, but the
whole arrangement was still a real fiasco for the Nazis.

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